Svetlana edges closer to Singapore
MOSCOW: Top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova cruised into the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup on Wednesday with a straight-sets win over Alize Cornet to keep her hopes alive of making the WTA Finals.
The two-time Grand Slam title winner, ranked ninth in the world, won 6-4, 7-5 in one hour 45 minutes.
Russian veteran Svetlana needs to win the Moscow title if she is to make the elite eight-woman field at next week’s season finale in Singapore.
If she fails, then Britain’s Johanna Konta will take the final spot.
“I was battling with myself throughout the match,” Svetlana said.
“I played my normal tennis from the start but after earning the lead I began to perform feebly for no reason. I was going up and down throughout the entire match.”
In the last eight, Svetlana will meet ninth seed Timea Babos of Hungary, who saw off another Frenchwoman, Kristina Mladenovic 6-1, 6-4.
The hopes of third seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of reaching the WTA
beat Alize Cornet
finals were ended after a wrist injury forced her to retire from her secondround match with Daria Gavrilova of Australia.
Carla started with an immediate break but Moscow-born Daria rallied to take the opening set 6-4 in 49 minutes. Daria led 3-0 in the second when Carla decided to withdraw.
“I think I played pretty well,” Daria said. “I lost my serve in the very beginning but I felt like I was still in it. I managed to find the momentum, I had a lot of chances and finally it all worked out.”
Daria will next face seventh seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 2014 title winner,
AFP pic
who ousted 2008 Kremlin Cup champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-4.
In the ATP event, second seeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas made the quarter-finals with a hardfought 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 win over local favourite, Evgeny Donskoy. AFP